Dog Training, Done Right at The Dog Wizard Chattanooga

Director of Operations and co-owner Lauren Hayes assists The Dog Wizard Chattanooga in a multitude of facets. Lauren is certified with the AKC as a Canine Good Citizen Evaluator and Therapy Pet Evaluator through Therapy Pets Unlimited. Lauren’s love of animals has been evident since childhood. During her high school and college years, she earned experience working in vet clinics, volunteering at shelters, and taking her therapy dogs to visit assisted care facilities.

Lauren graduated from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Biological and Environmental sciences. She began her career teaching middle school and high school sciences with Hamilton County, and later transitioned into a professional position in Environmental Compliance in a microbiology lab. Wanting more freedom from the 9 to 5 jobs, she and her husband John launched a home-based rescue organization to rehabilitate and rehome abandoned and abused dogs, and later grew their organization into a full-time training career.

Supporting John’s training career over the years, she interacts directly with The Dog Wizard clientele while supporting group training classes and playing an active role in the customer service department. Lauren keeps the wheels turning behind the scenes and loves helping the dog owners of Chattanooga achieve their goals. “Human education is key to changing the dynamic between pets and their handlers. Dogs are so special to us because of their unconditional love, and the value they add to our lives is immeasurable. I love what I do with The Dog Wizard because I know we make a difference with each pet parent that comes through our door.”

Years of Experience: 5

Certifications & Qualifications: AKC Certified Evaluator; Therapy Pets Unlimited (TPU)

Hobbies: Horse riding, hand-crafting candles, reading

Notes: Prefers Border Collies for intelligence and drive; background in horse training and science education; co-owner who emphasizes human education and rehabilitation/rescue work.

Keila’s passion for dogs began at an early age in her hometown of Ringgold, GA. Growing up, her family used to call her the “dog whisperer” since she always seemed to connect to any dog that crossed her path. Her first adopted rescue was very insecure and had a rough start in life. Being an animal lover, she knew that working with animals was what she wanted to pursue. Learning how to build her dog’s confidence and how to accept human companionship taught Keila how to communicate with dogs on a deeper level, and she wanted to learn more, resulting in further interest in understanding canine body language and behavior.

Keila began as early as possible working as a kennel tech in a freeplay daycare facility. For 4 years, she earned hands-on experience in canine behavior. During this time, she worked on coursework and graduated from Animal Behavior College as a Certified Dog Trainer, as well as earning certifications in Canine CPR and First Aid. Working with other local training facilities, she gained experience in puppy manners, behavior modification, and basic obedience. With experience handling dogs over the past 15 years, and the past two years of Trainer Certification coursework, she is a welcome addition to the Chattanooga Dog Wizard team.

Keila’s passion is driven by the idea of improving the way a handler and their dog can communicate better. It truly makes the relationship so much better between the two! “The absolute best feeling I have ever had is when I teach someone’s dog how to do something correctly and the owner is beyond proud of the pup! Seeing how their eyes light up and say ‘I didn’t think they would ever get it!’ Being part of the growing relationship is the best gift anyone could ever ask for!”

Years of Experience: 6

Certifications & Qualifications: Animal Behavior College Certificate; AKC Certified Evaluator; Canine CPR and First Aid

Hobbies: Drawing, gaming, music

Notes: Loves large breeds (Cane Corso, Mastiff, pit bulls); psychology coursework and mentorships with industry pros; focuses on handler-dog communication and confidence.

Co-owner of The Dog Wizard Atlanta, John, was born into a family with working breed dogs. His interest in studying dog behavior began at a young age with his grandfather’s dog “Pep,” who had a close bond with John. Pep was a Border Collie who did not allow certain people to get near John, and John wanted to know why.

John Hayes’ dog training career over the last 10 years has blossomed from hobbyist training into various facets of the dog training community professionally. Aside from his strides helping families train their pets in obedience professionally, his time spent researching canine behavior and competition obedience provided the opportunity to begin service dog work. John was a member of a team in Knoxville who helped train the world’s first Addison’s disease alert dog.

John has since gone on to train therapy dogs, PTSD service dogs, emotional support animals, police K9 narcotic and paraphernalia detection dogs, diabetic alert, psychiatric alert and support, mobility and autism support, and SAR dogs. He is also one of a limited number of trainers certified to train cancer detection dogs through the InSitu Foundation. John is an IACP professional member, certified with the AKC for Canine Good Citizen. He is an AKC judge and is certified to perform evaluations through Therapy Pets Unlimited, as well as Canine First Aid and CPR.

Years of Experience: 11

Certifications & Qualifications: AKC Certified Evaluator; InSitu Certified; Therapy Pets Unlimited Certified; PetTech First Aid; AKC Judge; IACP member

Hobbies: Playing drums, cars, traveling

Notes: Prefers Tervuran for drive and temperament; background spans software engineering to medical assisting; experienced in service, therapy, detection, and cancer-detection dog training; holistic, source-focused behavior work.

Marco has been fascinated by dogs since before he could walk. His first dog, Eva, was born the same month he was, and they grew up together for 14 years. She lived a long and happy life, and the lessons she taught him growing up introduced him to many aspects of dog behavior, from body language to communication. Eva helped spark Marco’s interest in dog training. For years following her passing, Marco had dogs coming in and out of his family home, ranging from rescues and strays to dangerous dogs and happy-go-lucky dogs. You name it, Marco has seen it!

When Marco was ready to adopt his own personal dog, he found an Australian Shepherd and named her Amidala, or “Ami” for short. He has been dedicated to helping Amidala become a perfect example of how dog training can help a dog live a happy and structured life! Nowadays, she helps him train other dogs in the field. Whether it be aggressive dogs or even well-balanced dogs, Ami is there to lend a helping paw.

Marco’s introduction into the professional dog training world started with work at a doggy daycare that was in partnership with The Dog Wizard in 2021. While there, he started developing his craft with a deeper dive into dog behavior, body language, and social cues. He became heavily invested in how dogs learn and why they do the things they do. He found, through months of observation and hands-on work with a variety of dog personalities, that dogs do everything for a reason. Finding ways to positively motivate dogs to shape behaviors helped Marco’s introduction to the balanced and scientifically based training methods that The Dog Wizard offers.

The Chattanooga Dog Wizard’s owner, John Hayes, was Marco’s trainer during his apprenticeship before working at The DC Dog Wizard. After deciding to move to Chattanooga and work with our Chattanooga team, we welcome Marco to Chattanooga from the DC area. He’s a passionate and knowledgeable trainer and cannot wait to help countless dogs and families live their best lives together here in the Scenic City!

Marco is an AKC Certified Trainer. He has experience ranging from basic obedience to aggression rehab and behavior modification. In his free time, he enjoys writing music and visiting local trails and parks.

Years of Experience: 4

Certifications & Qualifications: AKC Certified Evaluator

Hobbies: Skateboarding, making music, and video games

Notes: His favourite breed is the Australian Shepherd because of their willingness to work. He enjoys behavior modification cases and using “work for play” techniques to fulfill a dog’s drive. He has been fascinated by dogs since childhood and trains with his own Australian Shepherd, Ami

Brian had always had dogs in his life, and with frequent moves from state-to-state throughout his childhood, he developed an early understanding of dog behavior as he helped them acclimate to each new home. As a child, he had family Schnauzer-Poodle mixes, “Cookie,” “Candy,” and later on “Mandy” and “Skippy.” As a college graduate, he took in “Ginger,” a Boxer-Lab mix that was rescued off the streets of Denver. It wasn’t until Brian got his Belgian Malinois, “Ripley,” that it all started coming together. While he took a large part in training and learning about breeds in his earlier years, having a performance working dog sparked the passion to dive further into learning dog behavior on a deeper level.

As a nurse for over 16 years with experience in both the OR and ER, Brian traveled the country as a travel nurse. His dog, Ginger, was always by his side. Whether it was at a brewery, camping trip, or cross-country road trip, she was his right-hand pal. Ginger lived a long and happy life long into her senior years. After she passed, Brian focused his efforts to find his ideal working-dog partner. He found the Belgian Malinois fascinating, and when the time was right, “Ripley” joined his family. The healthcare world changed significantly over the past few years, and Brian wanted to leave healthcare behind but still utilize his skills in a meaningful way. Ripley opened those doors. Training her, shaping high-end competition-style obedience, and working with client dogs quickly became the life he’d dreamed to have.

Brian wants to use that passion to help owners and their dogs truly have their lives sync together. Whether they want that perfect heel to work in the ring, or just want their dog best friend sitting at a brewery patio with them, Brian believes that the cohesive relationship is the key to the picture-perfect life that all dog owners want when they grow their pet families. Brian is a member of the International Association of Canine Professionals and an AKC Certified trainer. He also enjoys earning certificates with Ripley, participating in AKC Scent Trials, and tracking and trailing.

When he isn’t training dogs, Brian enjoys riding his bike, brewery hopping, tending to his vegetable garden, and attending CFC soccer games.

Years of Experience: 3

Certifications & Qualifications: AKC Certified Evaluator; IACP member (noted elsewhere)

Hobbies: CFC soccer, gardening, visiting local breweries, biking

Notes: Prefers German Shepherds and Malinois; brings a quantitative, clinical approach from nursing background to behavior science and long-term behavior solutions.

Years of Experience: 9
Certifications & Qualifications: AKC Certified Evaluator
Hobbies: Reading, crochet, traveling
Notes: Favorite breed St. Bernard — bred for search and rescue; extensive service-dog training background; focuses on giving dogs a “job,” reducing anxiety, and building owner confidence.

Susan graduated from The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga with a degree in Business Marketing and Entrepreneurship. Early in her career, she was a photographer at Walt Disney World, where she met her husband, Anthony. They decided to move back to their hometown in Chattanooga, where she focused on developing further customer service skills in various hotels around the scenic city.

Susan was able to grow her business skills for many years, including other jobs in credit and billing. The position she once loved at a locally and family-owned concrete business was bought by a larger company, and she felt less at home.

Deciding what direction to go next, she considered what career would actually make her happy. Her love of dogs (and all other pets) helped her jump into the customer service side of the veterinary world. Working at the clinic she got to experience a variety of animals from dogs and cats, reptiles, and other exotic pets.

Every day at the animal clinic was an amazing experience, but it came with a lot of emotional hardship. Susan was introduced to The Dog Wizard as a client first. Her personal training experience with Kota, a husky mix who was surrendered at her clinic job and needed lots of love, healing and training, introduced her to a close knit team of trainers who shared the same passion about helping owners and dogs connect; a passion that was equally shared. When presented with the opportunity, she decided to join The Dog Wizard customer service team.

Certifications & Qualifications: Customer service experience; veterinary clinic background

Hobbies: Traveling, music, reading, local sports events, biking

Notes: Loves rescue dogs; transitioned from veterinary clinic work to customer service at The Dog Wizard; brings strong customer-facing skills.